Apparatus for treating textile fabrics



(No Model.)

J. H. LORIMER. APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS. No. 406,143.

Patented July 2, 1889..

lnvenfom John J'LLOYimer:

by Ms Any.

N. FE'I'ERS- Plwkoulhognphur, Washington, D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN II. LORIMER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TEXTILE FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,143, dated July 2, 1889.

Application filed April 9, 1888. Serial No. 270,088. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN II. LORIMER, of the city and county of Philadelphia, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for Treating Textile Fabrics, &c., of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to apparatus for dyeing and otherwise treating textile or other materials; and it consists of certainimprovements fully set forth in the following I specification, and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form part thereof.

The object of my invention is to provide a practical apparatus to clean, bleach, dye, or

otherwise treat textile fibers in the raw state,

partly prepared, carded, combed, or spun yarns with liquid or gases, or for leaching of dye-woods, roots, or leaves for the purpose of obtaining the extractive matters used in the arts.

Prior to the date of my invention textile fibers have been treated while held in a closed compartment having perforated walls by circulating througlrthe material the liquid dye, which process is best set out in the Patents Nos. 329,204 and 333,740, of 1885,

I and to which I refer that a more clear understanding of my improvements may be had; also in the Patent No. 305,818, of 1884, is shown a somewhat similar way of dyeing textiles; but in this case hot air is forced through the fiber with the liquid dye. I would also call attention to the Patent No. 372,472, of 1887, in which the fiber to be treated is placed in a vessel, and after exhausting the air the liquid is sucked into the vessel and caused to fill same and permeate the fiber placed therein, but is not circulated through the vessel, as in the cases above specified. Such is the art at the date of my invention, and having thus referred to it to aid in explaining my invention, I will now proceed to describe my improvements upon such prior inventions.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of my improved apparatus for dyeing, &c.,' and Fig. 2 is a similar view of a modification of same.

A is a tank, in which an inner vessel B is placed with a packed joint at J, and said inner vessel B is made to extend above the top of the tank A, and provided with a removable top or head D, which is secured in any suitable manner with a packed joint J, formed by a piece of rubber. The bottom 0 of the vessel B is perforated, and arranged within the vessel is a vertically-movable perforated head or piston F, which may be moved to or from the bottom by the screw E or other suitable manner, or by its weight alone it may be held in place, so as to tightly hold the material to be treated between the perforated bottom 0 and itself.

H is a hand-hole or man-hole in the top of the vessel B, and G is a vacuum-valve, which may be set to control the degree of vacuum produced.

M is a vacuum-pump, and R is the suction I pipe-thereto leading from the upper part of the tank A.

S is an outlet or suction pipe for liquid, having the valve .9 and connecting the bottom of tank A with the reservoir 0, and, if desired,

through the mediation of a pump L having a discharge-pipe V entering the reservoir.

N is a steam-pipe entering the bottom of the liquid-tank A to supply steam to heat the solution.

U is a suction-pipe leading from the reservoir O, and the liquid so conveyed is forced by the pump K through pipe T, and by either pipe P into the top of the inner vessel B or by pipe Q into the top of the outer tank A, or both, the flow being controlled by the valves p or q in said pipes P and Q.

The operation may be briefly stated as follows: The liquid, being forced through pipe P by pump K, is caused to pass through the material held between perforated parts F C, and may be sucked through by pump L and discharged to the reservoir 0 to be used over again. A forcing action alone is not as good as a combined forcing and sucking action. If desired, the liquid may be allowed to enter the outer tank by the pipe Q and slowly rise up through the vessel B, substantially as indicated in Fig. 1, and after such liquid has been drawn off the operation may be repeated with fresh liquid. In most cases, however, I prefer to first extract'the air from the vessel B and tank A by the vacuum-pump, and when that is done the valve m is closed and the liquid is run through the material to be treated, and will permeate it most freely and perfectly. When circulating the liquid through the inner vessel, the liquid surrounding it may be kept at a high temperature by the admission of steam, and thus impart such heat as is necessary to the contents of the inner vessel.

When, after treating the materials with liquid, it is desired to supply air for oxidizing purposes, the valves 1) (1 may be shut off and the liquid drawn off by S, and the valve 8 closed, and then the pump M started, creating a suction of air through the material, the pressure of the air being controlled by the adjustment of the'ainvalve G. \Vindows II may be arranged in the top part of vessel B and on diametrically-opposite sides, so that the interior may be visible.

When it is desired to treat the materials with a gas other than air, it may be admitted through the valved pipe 7 .after the air has been exhausted, and, if desired, its passage through the material may be induced by pressure or suction, or by pressure and suction combined.

In the modification shownin Fig. 2 wehave the tank A and vessel B hinged together at a, and with the material to be treated placed in the vessel B between the perforated bottom C and diaphragm F. The pipe T P may have flexible joints to permit the vessel B to be turned back so as to expose the perforated bottom O, which in this case is the removable part, to get at the contents of B. If desired, the pipe I may have a separable coupling, so as to disconnect the pipe T from the vessel B. The vacuum-pump M in this case sucks on the tank A below the vessel I5. In this case, as in the other, the vacuum would be produced before the liquid was circulated.

The most important features in the use of this apparatus are holding of the material to be treated against disturbance, and after extracting the air from and around it forcing through it the liquid with which it is to be treated in one or both directions alternately, and where oxidation is required removing the liquid and drawing air or gas through the sensitized material.

The apparatus may be somewhat modified without departing from my improvcmei'its; hence I do not limit myself to the details herein set out.

Having now described. my in vention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination of an air-tight vessel, an inner compartment within said vessel ha"- in g a perforated bottom, a vacuum-pump connected with said vessel and adapted to exhaust the air therein, and pipes opening, respectively, into the upper part of said inner compartment and the lower part of said vessel, and a pump connected with said pipes and adapted to circulate liquid through said pipes and inner compartment.

2. The combination of an air-tight vessel, an inner compartmentwithin said vessel havin g a perforated bottom, a movable diaphragm in said compartment, a vacuum-pump connected with said vessel and adapted to exhaust the air therein, and pipes opening, respectively, into the upper part of said inner compartment and the lower part of said vessel, and a pump connected with said pipes and adapted to circulate liquid through said pipes and inner compartment.

3. The combination of an air-tight vessel, an inner compartment within said vessel having a perforated bottom, a vaeuum-pu mp connected with said vessel and adapted to exhaust the air therein, and pipes opening, respectively, into the upper part 01": said inner compartment and the lower part of said ves sel, a pump connected with said pipes and adapted to circulate liquid through said pipes and inner compartment, and a reservoir connected with the pipe from the vessel into which the liquor may be run oti? from said vessel.

4. The combination of an air-tight vessel having a eonmartment with an adjustable portion for holding materials to be treated against disturbance, pipes leading to and from said vessel for supplying a gas to the material in the compartment, a vacu um pu mp to extract the air and assist the low of the gases, and a liquid passage or conduit connecting with the two opposite ends of the vessel, and a pump to force the liquid through the material in the vessel prior to admitting the gases.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

JOHN ll. LORIMER.

\Vitnesses:

Emvnsr HOWARD HUNTER, E. M. l-EREeKINREED. 

